Church Arcade opens in Duquesne

The setting features 38 pinball machines and a large collection of classic video games.

By JENNIFER MCCALLA
McKeesport Community Newsroom

For nearly a century, hymns and prayers echoed within the vaulted ceilings of Holy Name, a church in Duquesne. Today, the faint scent of sawdust and fresh wood has replaced that of incense, and instead of a choir, visitors can hear the rhythmic “wakka-wakka” of “Ms. Pac-Man.”

While the pews have been removed and sent to an Illinois congregation, members of the Pittsburgh Arcade Collective insist they haven’t stripped the building of its spirit by turning it into a video arcade.

“Churches are all about that communal, social experience, and this is not different than that, really,” co-founder Mike Hough said.

Holy Name, a parish established in the summer of 1890, built the South First Street church and began practicing there on Christmas Day in 1900, according to the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh website. In March 1928, its silhouette forever changed after a lightning strike damaged the steeple, leaving the building with a unique asymmetrical look.

As the Duquesne population dwindled, the parish tried a merger before closing in August 2023.

When looking for a space to store their games and a place to work on them, Hough’s co-founder Jon Snow didn’t set out to buy a church.

“It just so happened that we came across this building … the price was nice, and we thought, well, that’s an interesting and slightly different idea,” Hough said.

They purchased the church in April 2025.

“We feel truly, again bad pun, but we feel kind of blessed that it fell into our lap,” Hough said, laughing. “The whole reason we started the Collective was that these games were designed to be played together, side-by-side, kind of bumping elbows. This is just an extension of that.”

Pittsburgh’s pinball scene is busier than ever, moving from hidden gem status to a fully organized competitive sport. The Church Arcade has a collection of 38 pinball machines.

The arcade also features heavy hitters for gaming enthusiasts, from the shooting and racing game “Lucky and Wild” to a pair of “Super Mario” pinball tables rarely seen side-by-side. It even features a “Viper Night Drivin” machine so rare that the closest one is reportedly 400 miles away, according to Hough. Even the confessionals have been put to work, housing private games for two.

The transition also meant respecting the building’s past. Because Catholic icons must be removed when a church is decommissioned, the religious figures in the stained glass are gone. However, the remaining glass creates a stunning effect at night.

“The stained glass windows look like the glow of the game signs … they are kind of cool complementing each other,” Hough said.

Despite the building’s age, Hough says they haven’t encountered any resident ghosts or ominous vibes. In fact, the only “relics” left behind proved strictly earthly: a basement full of kitchen utensils from the old social hall, Christmas decorations and a stray priest’s robe that the group promptly returned to the Diocese.

“There is such a positive energy in this building,” Hough said. “Churches are all about community.”

They are even planning a Duquesne Community Day to host local first responders and city officials for free as a thank you for the warm welcome. Keeping the games running, after all, is a team effort.

“We repair our own games and everybody in the group has their own specialty,” Hough said. “There’s three Mikes. I’m one of them. We met our Mike quota.”

The team includes “Pinball Mike” Hovraluck, “Monitor Mike” Behr, who Hough says can fix just about anything, and Jason Flinn, a specialist in repairing circuit boards.

“We all learn from each other,” Hough said. “That’s the good thing about us all doing this together. We’re all good buddies, and we all get to hang out and work towards something together.”

Hough says the welcome from the neighborhood has been overwhelming.

“Everyone has been super friendly, especially our mailman. There have been people online that have had less than flattering things to say (about Duquesne), but we have had nothing but great experiences.”

Their grand opening last weekend attracted more than 350 enthusiasts.

Matt Ambrose, who lives in Armstrong County, drove nearly two hours so he could play “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” games.

“Those are the best, and I have been playing those since I was a kid,” Ambrose said.” Pinball is a lot of fun, everything here is just fantastic.”

Jennifer McCalla is writer, photographer and dog lover who lives in West Mifflin. She is a member of Tube City Writers, a program of the McKeesport Community Newsroom.

“The stained glass windows look like the glow of the game signs … they are kind of cool complementing each other.”

MIKE HOUGH